Distressed by Survivors’ Stories, General Assembly President Stresses Need to Turn Political Declaration on Human Trafficking into Action
Enhanced Response Key to Ensuring Safe, Orderly Passage for Millions Fleeing Humanitarian Crises, Says International Organization for Migration Speaker
Concluding its high-level meeting on human trafficking today, General Assembly President Miroslav Lajčák (Slovakia) urged the United Nations to not let down millions of victims and survivors of human trafficking around the globe.
“I can’t tell you how upset I am by the experiences” of trafficking survivor Grizelda Grootboom and others shared last week, said Mr. Lajčák, also stressing the need to support the dignity and human rights of all victims. “They are all people who deserve to live a decent life without being trafficked.” (For more on the trafficking survivors, see Press Release GA/11955 of 27 September.)
The Political declaration on the implementation of the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons endorsed last week was a strong commitment which must now be turned into action, he said. The true measure of the meeting would be whether action points were implemented.
Trafficking in persons affected the most vulnerable members in society including women and children, he continued, recalling that last week many Member States had shared their national plans and laws to combat human trafficking. Various Member States also called for the adoption of approaches that were human-rights based, gender-specific and child-tailored. They outlined various causes and factors that had to be addressed to combat human trafficking including poverty, lack of education and opportunities, and gender inequality.
Member States also recalled the essential role of the Sustainable Development Goals in ending human trafficking, he said, adding that the emphasis must be placed on women and children and improving prosecution of human traffickers.
“We heard from Member States of the progress made, but there is much more to do in prevention, prosecution, protection and partnership,” Mr. Lajčák said, adding that the last “P” was the reason the United Nations was established: People. “Let us remember them,” he said.
Also today, the representative of Belize expressed appreciation to last week’s address by trafficking survivor Ms. Grootboom, stressing “Grizelda’s story tells us of a human being’s inherent vulnerability to society’s blind eye.” While Belize had a low incidence of human trafficking cases, it nevertheless had high incidences of human smuggling and commercial sex work, which had led it to adopt several relevant laws as well as a national action plan to combat trafficking.
Nepal’s representative noted the “heart-wrenching” stories of young women and girls being trafficked, due mainly to poverty, ignorance and temptation on their part, and inhumane greed on the part of traffickers. Thousands of boys and girls, especially from rural Nepal, seeking jobs in cities and foreign countries, were vulnerable to traffickers. He also cited various initiatives Nepal had put into place, including strong legal and institutional measures to curb those crimes and address the root causes of human trafficking.
Representatives from various United Nations agencies also spoke, sharing their perspectives, including the representative of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), who noted INTERPOL’s secure communication network, I-24/7, which had facilitated real time communication between law enforcement around the globe. She called on Member States to extend access to border control officers, who needed relevant information to make the right decisions at the right time.
A representative of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that with 244 million international migrants globally and more than 65 million people forcibly displaced, the rights of too many migrants continued to be violated. Large-scale displacement caused by humanitarian crises had created situations in which people became vulnerable to human trafficking. The Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons was an excellent opportunity to reinvigorate collective efforts to end the practice within the overall context of facilitating safe, regular and orderly migration for the benefit of all.
The General Assembly also heard closing remarks from the chairs of last week’s two panel discussions. The first panel had focused on achievements, gaps and challenges in the Global Plan of Action and effective partnerships for preventing and prosecuting trafficking in persons; the second on the Global Plan and effective partnerships for protecting and assisting victims, with a focus on the role of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons.
Also speaking today were the representatives of Ethiopia and Uzbekistan.
The Permanent Observer of the Sovereign Order of Malta and a representative of the International Development Law Organization also delivered statements.
The General Assembly will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 3 October, to discuss the report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization.
Statements
MAHLET HAILU GUADEY (Ethiopia) said poverty, climate change, different levels of development, income inequalities and conflict increased people’s vulnerability to human trafficking. Also at risk were migrants crossing international borders and refugees, including those that engaged in a secondary movement. “Victims of trafficking continue to face unimaginable and often fatal dangers along their journeys as the opportunities for legal migration or durable solutions are very limited,” she said, adding that the first pillar of a comprehensive and holistic response could be addressing the phenomenon’s root causes. A second pillar could include the establishment of interim frameworks for internal protection, humanitarian assistance and addressing victims’ needs, while the third pillar could be based on safe, orderly and legal migration pathways that employed a human rights-based approach.
BAKHTIYOR IBRAGIMOV (Uzbekistan) said trafficking in persons was “one of the most dangerous types of transnational organized crime”. Uzbekistan’s 2008 National Law on Countering Human Trafficking had been accompanied by a presidential decree on measures to combat the phenomenon more effectively. A national inter-agency commission on combating human trafficking had also been established, comprising heads of State agencies and public organizations, the Women’s Committee, the National Centre for Human Rights, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, the youth union and other non-governmental organizations. The Government had also created a National Rehabilitation Centre to provide assistance and protection to victims.
LOIS MICHELE YOUNG (Belize) expressed appreciation for last week’s address by trafficking survivor Grizelda Grootboom, stressing “I cannot fathom the strength and courage it took to stand before the world and share a story that no doubt she would rather banish than burnish in memory.” Her story must be told “lest we forget that human beings no different from you and I, no different from our very children” were made to suffer the most intolerable of indignity and inhumanity in the form of modern-day slavery. “Grizelda’s story tells us of a human being’s inherent vulnerability to society’s blind eye,” she said, adding that it spoke to the impunity perpetuated by society’s failure to act. While Belize had a low incidence of human trafficking cases, it nevertheless had high incidences of human smuggling and commercial sex work, which had led it to adopt a number of relevant laws as well as a national action plan to combat trafficking. Outlining that multi-pronged approach, she underlined the importance of providing long-term assistance to victims, advanced training for investigators, establishing investigative units, dedicating prosecutors and judges and implementing a fast-tracking system for human trafficking cases.
DURGA PRASAD BHATTARAI (Nepal) said that thousands of boys and girls, especially from rural Nepal, seeking jobs in cities and foreign countries were vulnerable to traffickers. He noted the “heart-wrenching” stories of young women and girls being trafficked, due mainly to poverty, ignorance and temptation on their part, and inhuman greed on the part of traffickers. Nepal had put in place strong legal and institutional measures to curb those crimes and address the root causes of human trafficking. In that context, the Constitution guaranteed rights against exploitation and barred human trafficking and forced or bonded labour. Those crimes were punishable under law and the Constitution also ensured legal remedies and compensation to the victims of slavery, bonded labour and child labour. He noted Nepal’s involvement in various national, regional and global initiatives to curb human trafficking. The role of social media in luring unsuspecting men, women and children into trafficking must be dealt with head-on.
OSCAR R. DE ROJAS, Permanent Observer of the Sovereign Order of Malta, reaffirmed his commitment to continue to reduce the vulnerability of migrants and refugees. He also noted that multilateral and bilateral measures were critical in combating human trafficking. Civil society was instrumental in continuing to protect and rehabilitate victims of modern slavery and trafficking. He said it was important to consider strengthening international structures and fully back international law to ensure protection of human trafficking victims. The seventieth anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights must be used to boost the efforts of States and civil society to protect men, women and children from modern slavery.
JUDIT ARENAS LICEA, International Development Law Organization (IDLO), outlining the group’s efforts to combat human trafficking under the framework of the “three Ps” — prevention, protection and prosecution — described the crime as both heinous and antithetical to the rule of law. While it was outlawed by several international treaties and Governments had made progress in passing relevant legislation, much more remained to be done to strengthen legal frameworks to ensure that the tools existed to pursue criminal charges. Noting that her organization provided technical assistance in that regard, as well as in creating national anti-trafficking strategies and supporting their implementation, she said developing the capacity of legal and justice systems would be critical to effectively tackling the phenomenon going forward. However, institutions alone were not enough, and people must be made aware of their rights so they were able to claim them. In addition, human trafficking’s gendered nature required a gender-centred approach. “We cannot effectively protect women and girls from trafficking if we are not ready to combat gender discrimination globally and if we are not willing to work to shatter power structures that perpetuate this global challenge,” she stressed.
ELISABETH NEUGEBAUER, International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), said that although trafficking in persons took varied forms, international law enforcement cooperation remained key to tackling all its aspects. INTERPOL had three major strategies: counter-terrorism, fighting cybercrime and combating organized and emerging crime. The latter had established fighting human trafficking as one of INTERPOL’s strongest commitments. INTEPOL’s secure communication network, I-24/7, had facilitated real-time communication between law enforcement around the globe. She called on Member States to extend access to border control officers, who needed relevant information to make the right decisions, at the right time. INTERPOL would continue to do everything in its power to assist countries in identifying and disrupting the criminal networks operations behind human trafficking activities.
KIERAN GORMAN-BEST, International Organization for Migration, said that with 244 million international migrants globally and over 65 million forcibly displaced, the rights of too many migrants continued to be violated. Large-scale displacement caused by humanitarian crises had created situations in which people become vulnerable to human trafficking. The demand for cheap goods and sexual services had also driven the spike in human trafficking. He urged companies to establish decent working conditions for all employees. More investment was also needed to learn from anti-trafficking interventions to better inform response. The Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons was an excellent opportunity to reinvigorate collective efforts to eradicate human trafficking within the overall context of facilitating safe, regular and orderly migration for the benefit of all.